Warren and Eleanor Robinson, Lisa teBrinke, Friedhelm Hoffman, Martin teBrinke, Martha Mungar, Mathieu Burdan, Joan Karstens, Duncan McGregor, Susan Armstrong. Photo courtesy of Deb Sholdice
BAYFIELD – A handful of contributors to the arts and cultural scene in Huron County were honoured in an awards ceremony Saturday night.
A packed house at the Bayfield Town Hall announced the five top winners and celebrated all 27 nominees, including individuals, organizations and events whose names were put forward by colleagues in the County as contenders for the 2011 Cultural Awards.
“All of the nominees do excellent work and contribute enormously to enhancing our quality of life here in Huron,” said Karen Stewart, who is the event programmer for HAHN.
Huron Arts and Heritage Network, a not-for-profit organization that represents individuals, organizations and businesses and works to engage residents, enhance visitors’ experience, build awareness for locations, sites and celebrations and enrich community spirit hosted the celebration. Five awards were presented.
Nominees for the Cultural Event/Organization were: Bach Music Festival of Canada, Blyth Festival Singers, Celtic Folk Society / Celtic Roots Festival, Out of the Storm, and Riverview House Concerts. Jenna Ujiye, a board director, presented the award to Celtic Folk Society / Celtic Roots Festival. This annual festival celebrates folk music, dance and craft art traditions of Canada’s immigrant and founding cultures. This year, it celebrated its 20th anniversary with five music stages, dance performances, artisans market, the Celtic College, a kids’ day camp, and a Rural Roots concert series. Inspired leadership of Warren and Eleanor Robinson, supported by many volunteers, billets and sponsors, and assisted by a summer staff, the Celtic Folk Society / Celtic Roots Festival attracts thousands of Celtic culture lovers to Goderich each August. Festival founders Warren and Eleanor Robinson accepted the award.
Nominees in the Individual Artist category were: Paul Ciufo, Karen Melady & Linda Wiebe (Worth their Salt), Frank Moore, Greg Sherwood, George Zoethout. Board director, Meighan Wark, who is also the County’s director of cultural services, presented the award to Greg Sherwood.
Sherwood began teaching in Huron County in 1988 at Seaforth District High School, where he supplemented the arts program by bringing in renowned local artists. When he moved to F.E. Madill as head of the art department, he continued to bring artists in to inspire students. He led student field trips to Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Ottawa, New York and Paris to visit galleries and study architecture. Through his volunteer work with the Blyth Festival Art Gallery, Sherwood has curated many professional exhibitions and has chaired the annual student show for 11 years. He has also been instrumental in ensuring the success of the annual community show. Outside the classroom and his volunteer interests, Sherwood is a recognized painter in his own right. His large sprawling canvases featuring local landscapes and clouds blowing across broad skies have been exhibited in Blyth, Bayfield, Goderich, and London galleries.
The community contributor award recognizes a volunteer, sponsor or donor that has made an impact on Huron’s cultural community. The nominees were Elizabeth Battye (Blyth), Margaret Day (Wingham), Gail Grant (Bayfield), Friedhelm Hoffman (Exeter), Jim Lee (Brussels), Peter Meades (Bayfield) and Duncan McGregor (Blyth). David Armstrong, who is chair of the Huron County Historical Society, presented the award to Friedhelm Hoffman. Hoffman had a vision of a major Festival in South Huron that was a catalyst for community pride while showcasing the enthusiasm of a rural community for the development of cultural life. This dream became a reality in 2011 as the entire community embraced the inaugural Bach Music Festival of Canada. As chair of the board, Hoffman’s role was critical as he led with enthusiasm, dynamic energy, organizational ability, and unflagging belief resulting in outstanding achievement. Hoffman, as a warden at Trivitt Memorial Church, is committed to community outreach through development of Harvest Weekends, Octoberfest events, children’s theatre and entertainment, dinners and Sunday Community Church Services. A gifted leader, Hoffman encourages others and believes in their success.
Nominated in the Youth Category were Mathieu Burdan and Curtis teBrinke. Eric Coates, Artistic Director of the Blyth Festival, presented the award to Lisa and Martin teBrinke, who accepted on behalf of their son, Curtis. Curtis has played noteable roles in professional theatre at the Blyth Festival (The Thirteenth One (2005), Ballad of Stompin’ Tom (2006), and Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott (2008)). Described as “thoughtful and observant, he displayed a healthy curiosity and an ability to take artistic risks, not only without fear, but also without concern for entertaining the audience. Curtis has an inherent appreciation for the artist’s singular commitment to truth.” Curtis also participated in the Blyth Festival Young Company for many years, provides leadership writing, directing and acting in school productions, and this year spearheaded the Central Huron Secondary School production for the Ontario Sears Drama Festival, which was staged at Goderich’s GDCI the same night at the cultural awards ceremony. Curtis is a young playwright, actor and producer with great dedication to his craft.
The final award of the evening recognized an individual, organization or event that has made a contribution to either the promotion or preservation of Huron County’s unique heritage. Nominees included: John Hazlitt and Ted Turner, Judy Keightley, Ralph Laviolette, Narcisse the Play, Reuben Sallows Gallery, Van Egmond House and Joe Wooden. The award, presented by Huron County Warden Bernie MacLellan went to Narcisse, the Play.
A cast of 55 residents of St. Joseph and the outlying area came together last summer to share their own true heritage tale of one of the area’s most colourful residents. An event like none other in Huron County in 2011, Narcisse engaged residents and visitors alike and celebrated rural French Canadian settlement in St. Joseph in an extra-ordinary way. This tiny hamlet was acclaimed nationally as the event, produced by the St. Joseph and Area Historical Society, won the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming. Narcisse was a wonderful tribute to our forefathers and enhanced community spirit across the County and beyond. Joan Karstens and Martha Mungar, of the St. Joseph Historical Society, accepted the award.
Musical presentations during the evening included: the cast of Red Sails in the Sunset, the upcoming production at the Livery Theatre; Tuesday Tunes, the weekly musical collective from Seaforth; the extraordinary talents of the artistic directors of Bayfield Festival of Song, Stephen Ralls and Bruce Ubukata; and Canadian baritone powerhouse Geoffrey Sirett; Blyth Festival’s artistic director, Eric Coates, gave the audience a glimpse of Blyth Festival’s 2012 season; HAHN’s cultural development officer, Rick Sickinger, said the upcoming report with results of the Cultural Mapping Project is putting quantitative data in place that will ultimately shed a bright light on the extend of cultural activity and impact in Huron County; and Meighan Wark shared details of the upcoming Visual Art.
The evening’s program is available in pdf. format at www.heritageandculture.on.ca . It provides a glimpse of the outstanding contributions of our 27 nominees.
For more information about Huron Arts and Heritage Network and its activities visit the website, join it on Facebook for late breaking news and information, or call Karen Stewart, at 519-523-4328.
